LOCATION TOTTEN NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Natraquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Totten loam on a southwest-facing plane slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist to 17 inches, dry from 17 to 26 inches, and moist from 26 to 60 inches. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine angular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots and pores; a few fine pebbles; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Btn1--5 to 10 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; interior of prisms are light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and white (N 8/0) dry; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to strong fine and very fine angular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common roots; clean sand grains coat faces of prisms; violent effervescence ped interiors; strong effervescence ped exteriors; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary.
Btn2--10 to 17 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy clay loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; many fine and medium distinct gray (5Y 6/1) redoximorphic depletions and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) coatings on faces of prisms; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and very fine angular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; common fine pores; diffuse carbonates in interior of peds; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Btn horizons 4 to 19 inches thick)
Bk--17 to 26 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam, light gray (5Y 7/1) dry; patches of dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) on faces of prisms; many fine and medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent black (10YR 2/1) redoximorphic concentrations and medium distinct gray (5Y 6/1) redoximorphic depletions; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse and medium platy and moderate and strong fine and very fine angular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; slight effervescence, strong effervescence in interiors of peds; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
2C1--26 to 34 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) coarse sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common distinct light gray (5Y 7/2) dry redoximorphic depletions and few fine prominent black (10YR 2/1) redoximorphic concentrations; single grain; slightly hard, loose, nonsticky; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2C2--34 to 40 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; single grain; loose; 25 percent by volume of fragments coarser than 2 mm; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2C3--40 to 60 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and brown (10YR 5/3) stratified coarse sand and very gravelly coarse sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; single grained; loose; 10 to over 60 percent by volume of fragments coarser than 2 mm in some strata; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Eddy County, North Dakota; about 4 miles north and 4 1/2 miles east of New Rockford; 2,550 feet east and 180 feet south northwest corner, sec. 7, T. 149 N., R. 65 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to coarse sand typically is 22 to 30 inches but ranges from 14 to 40 inches. Typically the A and Bt horizons contain a few pebbles.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 2 or 3 and 3 or 4 dry, and chroma of 1. It typically is loam, but some is silt loam or sandy loam. It contains some salts and ranges from slight to strong effervescence.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 4 to 8 dry, and chroma of 1 to 4 when mixed. Distinct or prominent redoximorphic features with hue of 5Y, 2.5Y or 10YR and chroma of 1 to 6 are in the interior of the prisms in most pedons. The Btn horizon typically is sandy clay loam but some is loam or clay loam.
The Bk horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 4 to 7 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, clay loam, or sandy loam. The lower boundary of the Bt or Bk horizon commonly is very irregular or tongues into the 2C horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and 5 to 8 dry, and chroma of 1 to 4. The 2C horizon typically is coarse sand containing 10 to 40 percent by volume of fine gravel, but some are stratified and contain layers of coarse and medium sand and gravel. Some pedons contain sand and gravel composed of shale channers. Glacial till is within depths of 40 to 60 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Totten soils are on nearly level, slightly depressed areas on outwash plains, and channels. Slope gradients are less than 2 percent. The soils formed in loamy material overlying stratified sand and sand and gravel glacial alluvium. The climate is cool, subhumid. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation from 16 to 20 inches. Most of the precipitation comes in the spring and summer.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arveson, Arvilla, Binford, Borup, Brantford, Divide, Kensal, Marysland, Osakis, Stirum, Walum and Warsing soils. Arveson, Borup, Divide and Marysland soils do not have Bt horizons and have calcic horizons within depths of 16 inches. Arvilla, Binford, Brantford, Kensal, Osakis, Walum and Warsing soils are on nearby outwash plains on higher topographic positions. They are moderately well to somewhat excessively drained and none have Bt horizons. Stirum soils are on similar positions. They are coarse-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. A few areas are very poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately slow or slow in the solum and rapid in the substratum. The water table is at depths of less than 24 inches in the spring and during periods of above average precipitation.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used for hay and pasture; some are cropped to hay and small grains. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, inland salt-grass, wetland sedges, rushes, forbs and annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central North Dakota. The soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eddy County and parts of Benson and Nelson Counties, North Dakota, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 10 inches (Ap and Btn1 horizons); natric horizon - the zone from 5 to 17 inches (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons) characteristicts associated with wetness - chroma of 1 in the lower part of the mollic epipedon, and immediately below the mollic epipedon hue of 2.5Y, value of 5 and chroma of 1 on ped surfaces and distinct redoximorphic features.